Rotary engine



s E. KOCHENDARFER.

ROTARY ENGIN'E,

APPLICATION FILED OCT- 2,1918.

1,344, 137. Patented June 22, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

A TTORNEYS s. E. KOCHENDARFER.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT- 2, 1918.

1 ,344, 1 37, Patented June 22, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

' herein described and claimed.

SIRIUS E. KOCHENDARFER, OF WASHINGTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

ROTARY ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J 22. 1920 Application filed October 2, 1918. Serial No. 256,618.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, SIRIUS E. KOOHEN- DARFER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Washington, in the county of Vashington and State of Pennsylvania, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates toimprovements in rotary engines, and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements An object of my invention is to provide an improved construction over that form of the device disclosed in a prior application, Serial NnmberlGatA-36. In said priorapplication I disclosed a rotary engine of substantially the same type as that set forth hereinafter, having L-shaped pistons which were acted on by springs carried in recesses in thebody of the rotor. Each of these. pistons was so designed that the incoming steam not only tended to exert force on the "face of the piston, but also at the end of the shorter arm of the L. When the rotor was revolving rapidly the tendency was for the piston to jump past the intake port before the piston swung outwardly to the outer wall. In certain positions, the weight of the piston tended to swing it inwardly, thereby permitting steam to escape past the piston.

In the present invention, I provide means for preventing thejumping of the piston past the intake port, and I also prevent the piston from swinging inwardly by gravity, through the use of a resilient push-rod extending from the inner face of one piston,

through the body of the rotor, to the inner face of the opposite piston.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated inthe accompanying drawings; forming part of this application, in which Figure 1 is a central, vertical section through the device, showing the pistons in one position;

Fig. 2 is a similar view of a portion of the device, showing the pistons at ninety degrees from the position in Fig. 1;

gig. 3 is a perspective view of the rotor; an

Fig. 1 is a detailed, sectional view of the push-rod. I

In carrying out my invention, I provide a base 1 which contains a valve chamber 2, having a valve 3. The latter is preferably of the rotary type and controls the steam inlet passage 4.- The base 1 supports the engine casing 5. The latter is in the form of a cylinder, and is provided with removable plates 6, by means of which access mav be had to the interior. An exhaust chairiber 7 communicates with an exhaust pipe 8. On the inside of the the exhaust chambers 7 and 4, is disposed a casting 9,

casing between the intake port which Is made hollow for the sake of lightness and economy in material. The inner surface of this casting 9 is curved as shown at 10, to form a cam surface.

The rotor is shown in general at 11. It consists of a cylinder having cut-away portions 12 to lighten the cylinder, and being provided with recesses 13. The cylinder is mounted on the square portion of ashaft 14. The cylinder is of such a diameter as to closely contact with the curved surface of the casting 9 near the intake port. This provides a steam or expansion chamber 15 from the intake port around one side of the device between the surface of the rotor and the interior wall of the casing 5. The oscillatory pistons are shown at 16 and 16. Each of these pistons has a pivot pin 17 carried by the rotor. The pistons, as stated before, are L-shaped, the shorter arm being arranged to project into the recess 13 Arranged to extend through the center of the rotor is a sleeve 18 in which is dis posed the push-rod'19. This rod is, in fact, made up of two sections, which are normally spaced apart by a spring 20. The ends of the rod 19 bear on screw plugs 21. which are carried by the pistons and which have the triple function of serving as means for wall of each of the recesses 13 is formed on a curve 10 which is concentric with the pivot pin 17. Packing 23 is carried by the piston and engages this curved wall. "acking 24 is carried by the pistons on their outer surface, andengages the interior wall of the casing.

As will be seen from Figs. 3 and 1, openings 25 are provided in the pistons 16 and 16, these openings extending tlirough the piston to the under-surface thereof.

From the foregoing description of the va rious parts, the operation of the device may be readily understood Steam is admitted into the inlet pipe 26 by means of the valve 27, and passes into the valve casing 2, thence past the valve 3 and through the inlet 4;, into the recess 13, where it exerts pressure on the piston blade. The latter being carried by the rotor, this pressure is transmitted to the rotor, which turns, thus turning the shaft 14:. The steam continues to force the piston around until it passes the exhaust chamber 7, when the steam is allowed toescape.

As the rotor continues its movement, the piston engages the cam surface 10, being forced inwardly into the recess 13. Contact with the surface of the casting 9 keeps the piston in its inner position until it clears the end of the casting, which is just adjacent to the inlet port 4. It will be observed, however, that before the piston .has cleared the casting 9, the openings 25 permit the incoming steam to enter the recess 13 so that the steam may ,press on the inner end of the L-shaped piston, thereby equalizing the steam ,pressure and permitting the piston to follow down the curved end wall of the casting 9, through which the intake port 4- has communication with the recess 18, instead of jumping past this curved portion, as it might do if the steam pressure were not equalized on opposite sides of the piston.

Consider now Fig. 2; the .piston 16 is in a position where gravity wouldtend to swing it inwardly, thereby tending topern it the steam to pass the piston. The provision of the push-rod 19 prevents this. .The two pistons are so arranged that at this vpoint the piston 16' being in its inner position, tends to exert a compressing action on the spring 20, which, in turn, keeps-the opposite end of the push-rod extended into engagement with the piston 16, thus maintaining the latter in close contact with the outer wall of the casing 5.

The provision of the screw-plugs 21 has, as stated, a triple function. These screwplugs may be hardened so as to prevent excessive wear, they may be adjusted'so as to take uptension on the spring20, and they may be easily removed or replaced, thereby affording easy access for the removal or replacement of the push-rod 19. In order to facilitate such replacement, and to give access to the "interior of the engine, I provide the screw plug 28' at the top of the exhaust chamber 7 I claim:

1. A rotary engine, comprising a casing having a working chamber with a cam wall and an incline having a steam inlet, and a rotor operable in said chamber, with a piston having an opening for conducting steam behind the piston on reaching said incline, before steam pressure is actually exerted on the piston.

52. A. rotary engine, comprising a rotor with a recess, and a swinging piston in operative association therewith; and. a stator including a cam wall with an abrupt incline having a steam inlet, enabling steam to enter said recess through an opening in the piston, before said piston rides over the incline to receive the thrust of steam pressure.

3. A rotary engine, comprising a rotor with a recess, and a swinging piston inoperative association therewith and having an opening therethrough, a stator including a cam wall with an incline having a steam inlet, enabling steam to enter said recess through said opening in the piston, before said piston rides over the incline to receive the thrust of steam pressure, and operatively associated means for keeping the piston in contact with the stator wall, including spring actuated means and a wear plug carried by the piston.

4:. In a rotary engine, a casing, a rotor disposed within the casing and having an opening therethrough, a pair of pistons pivotally carried by said rotor on opposite sides thereof, a push-rod extending through the rotor and having its ends in contact with the inner surfaces of the opposed pistons, and screw plugs carried by the pistons for permitting the removal of the p ush-rod.

V 5. In a rotary engine, a casing, a rotor disposed within the casing and having an opening therethrough, a pair of pistons pivotally carried by said rotor on opposite sides thereof,=each of said pistons having an opening, a screw plug disposed in the opening of each piston, a push-rod extending through the rotor, said push-rod comprising a pair of outer members and a central spring memher for normally forcing said outer members apart, the ends of the outer members being in engagement with the ends of said screwplug.

SIRIUS E. KOCHENDARF'ER. 

